Base-ball game.



W. S. WILSON.

BASE BALL GAME.

APPLICATION FILED ran. 18. 1914.

Patented Nov. 24, 1914.

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W. S. WILSON.

' BASE BALL GAME.

AI'PLIGATION FILED mums, 1014 l, 1 1 8,323. Patented Nov.24,1914.

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APPLICATION mum r211. 18. 1914.

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WILLIAM S. WILSON, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

BASE-BALL GAME.

Application filed February 18, 1914.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM S. WiLsoN, a citizen of the United States of America, at present residing at Baltimore, Maryland, have invented certain Improvements n Base-Ball Games, of which the following is a specification.

In the description of the said invention which follows, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, and in which Figure 1 is a perspective top view of the improved baseball game, and Fig. 2 an enlarged perspective top view, partly in section, of certain parts of the apparatus, illustrating the mechanism whereby the game'ls played. Fig. dis a perspective underside View of a portion of Fig. 2; and Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are still further enlarged perspective views of parts of the apparatus.

Referring now to the drawings, 1 is the foundation plate of the apparatus, and 2a board which represents the baseball field. It is supported from the foundation plate 1 by the stands 3. Upon the field board, are markedlines a which bound the diamond 1,

' and centrally of the diamond, is a fixed disk 5 which is separated from the remaining portion of the ,diamond, by a narrow space or channel I) for a purpose hereinafter described.

7 is a fixed vertical post on the foundation plate 1, terminating in a shaft 9 which extends into a socket 10 on the underside of the disk 5 and shown only in Fig. 12 is an arm the inner end of which fits loosely over the said shaft,in order to allow of its rotation.

13 is a sprin coiled about the post 7 with one of its en s attached to the post at c, and its other end fastened to the arm 12 at cl. The function of the spring 12} is to yieldingly retain the arm 12 in alinement with the dotted axial line m shown in Fig. 1, and admit of its free end describing a circle around the shaft 9, when force is applied to the arm, in a manner hereinafter described.

Referring now to Fig. 1 it will be seen that there are on the field, a number of fixed figures representing players viz: the umpire, catcher, pitcher, the first baseman, second baseman, right fielder, center L fielder, short stop, left fielder, and the thlrd baseman; and in addition to these figures, is the runner represented by 14 who stands on a ver- Speeification of Letters Patent.

Serial No. 819,387.

tical rod 15 adapted to rotate in the arm 12, and which passes loosely through the slot 1), with the runner above the field board 2.. To the lower end of the rod 15 is secured an ordinary furniture caster 17, the roller e of Patented Nov. 24, 1914.

come in contact with a similarly shaped block 9 on the side of the arm 12 when the.

cup IL in which is held by thering z, the ball.

22, of preferably some slightly flexible sub stance such as rubber, or some hard material covered with leather. The bar 20 is held yieldingly in its extreme outward position by means of a spring 23 whichis coiled about it, and compressed endwise between the cup h and the frame 21. From this description it will be understood that should the ball 22 be struck a sharp blow, the arm 12 will be thrown forward carrying with it the runner 14 who traverses the slot 5 a dis tance which depends upon the force of the stroke.

Underneath the field board, and situated at each of the three bases, is secured in any suitable manner a segmental block .2 1 the inner edge of which is in the path of the end of the arm 12. Extending loosely through each of these blocks and a plate j fastened thereto, is a stem 25 having at its inner end a catch 27, and at its outer end a knob 29.

between the catch 27 and the plate j, which yieldingly holds the catch in the path of the end of the arm 20 as shown in Fig. 6. The block 24 and its attachments at the home plate is not shown in the drawing. A second spring 31, serves to take up the shock as the returning arm strikes the catch 27.

Should therunner pass a base, the latch thereat prevents his return to the home plate until the latch is drawn outward by the wire 7c,- and a run can only be scored by the runner passing all the bases and reaching practically the home plate.

In playing the game, the player using preferably, an ordinary baseball bat, strikes the ball 22 a sharp blow, whereupon the runner who at that time is at the home plate, will" run forward traversing the slot 6. Should he pass the first base and stop before reaching the second base, he will fall back to the latter and be held thereat until the latch at the first base is drawn inward by means of the wire attached to the operating stem 25 whereby the latch is detached from the arm 12. The spring 13 will then bring the runner again to the home plate. Such a movement of the runner will of course not count, and it is only when the runner has passed all the bases and is held at the home plate that a run is scored.

It will be understood that the runner who during the run described, faces in the clirection of his movement, will on his return face about, thus bringing his face toward the home plate, where he will remain until the ball 22 is again struck.

I claim as my invention 1. In a baseball game a foundation plate,

a field board elevated above the foundation plate having a circular slot extending therethrough, a centrally situated fixed vertical post erected on the foundation platecarrying aloosely pivoted arm, spring mechanism which connects the arm to the fixed post, adapted to yieldingly retain the piv' oted arm against rotation about the post, a vertical runner-carrying rod adapted for rotation in the arm, which projects through the said slot, the said rod at its lower end being provided with a caster which rests on the foundation plate, whereby the rod in its change from a forward to a backward movement in the slot is turned on its axis 180 degrees for a purpose described.

2. In a baseball game, a field board having a circular groove or slot which extends therethrough, a fixed central vertical post, an arm loosely pivoted to the post having at its end a rod which passes through the circular slot and carries a figure which represents therunner in the game, combined with an endwise-moving bar which upon being struck, will engage the said arm and cause the runner to traverse the slot, spring mechanism to yieldingly retain the runner adjacent to a point on the board representing the home plate, catches on thefield board, spaced around the circular slot therein to limit the backward movement of the runner toward the home plate, and devices to render the catches temporarily inoperate and thereby admit of the complete return of the runner to the home plate position, substantially as specified.

3. In a baseball game, a field board having a circular groove or slot which extends therethrough, a fixed central vertical post, an arm loosely pivoted to the post having at its end a rod which passes through the circular slot and carries a figure which represents the runner in the game, combined with an endwise-moving bar which upon being struck, will engage the said arm and cause the runner to traverse the slot, spring mechanism to yieldingly retain the runner adjacent to a point on the board representing the home plate, catches on the field board, spaced around the circular slot therein to limit the return movement of the runner toward the home plate, and devices and thereby force the runner to traverse the "j slot, spring mechanism to yieldingly retain the runner adjacent to a point on the board representing the home plate, catches on the field board which are spaced around the circular slot therein, to limit the backward movement of the runner toward the home plate, and devices to render the catches temporarily inoperate and thereby admit of the complete return of the runner to the home plate position, substantiallyas specified.

5. A baseball game, comprisingas elements thereof, a fixed vertical post, an arm pivoted to the post and united to the same by means of a coiled spring one end of which is connected to the post, and the other end to the arm, a vertical stem carrying a figure representing a runner, adapted for' rotation within the arm, and provided with a caster at its lower end, combined with a plate upon which. the caster rests, and means to effect a rotation of the arm around the post, whereby in the forward and backward rotation of the arm the vertical stem is reversed in circumferential tially as'specified.

6. A baseball game comprising as elements thereof, a foundation plate, a fixed vertical post erected on the said plate, an

arm pivoted to the vertical post, a coiled spring which connects the post with the arm and resists rotation of the latter, combined with a spring-retracted bar one end of which is adapted to engage the end of the rotary arm and cause the forward'movement of the same, and the otherend proposition, substanand its other end sea cured to the arm, combined with a spring- 10 retracted arm-actuating bar having at its outer end a cup, a balhand a ring to hold the ball in the cup substantially as specified.

WILLIAM S. WILSON. Witnesses WM. T. HOWARD, JULIA B. ROBINSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Iatents, Washington, D. 0. 

